Why work with ICER?
The UW team feels that ICER is an emerging leader in the field of technology evaluation and their evaluations are an important contribution to health care decision-making and the larger conversation about healthcare and value.
What services will the Comparative Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics (CHOICE) Institute provide to Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER)?
The CHOICE team will develop cost-effectiveness models to estimate the cost per outcomes achieved as well per patient cost estimates for ICER generated review topics. We will not be developing the budget impact models or the related affordability price benchmarks.
What is the term length of the collaboration with ICER?
The initial collaboration is a two-year pilot program.
What resources will be dedicated to ICER evaluations?
A faculty member with HEOR expertise will lead and be responsible for all aspects of the evaluation. A senior scientist with HEOR expertise will be responsible for the model development and share responsibility for the analysis and reporting of results. A Graduate research assistant will be involved to support all activities.
Will interested stakeholders be allowed to provide comments on the work?
We are committed to our work being transparent and inclusive of stakeholder input and will follow the approach developed by ICER. Specifically, members of the public, payers and manufacturers will be invited to comment on the draft reports during a public comment period. All other communications should be directed to ICER at http://www.icer-review.org/about/contact-us/
What information will be made available to the public?
Information about the model development, methods, data, and results for the work performed by CHOICE will be made publicly available in the ICER-reviews. In addition, a technical monograph will be made publicly available containing sufficient information to enable external groups to reproduce the research performed by the CHOICE team.
When will the technical report be made available?
The detailed technical report will be made available within 6 months after the public hearing.
Will the UW team follow standard approaches for quality assurance and validation?
Yes, the UW will adhere to the ISPOR guidelines for quality assurance and validation.
Will the University of Washington team consider consulting with the drug developer being evaluated?
The University of Washington team will not consult directly with drug developers with models being evaluated during the project phase, except through the communication process established by ICER, which includes multiple points of contact with drug developers throughout the process.
How aligned is UWSOP with current ICER value framework?
A full treatment of the strengths and weaknesses of the various value frameworks that have been developed to date, including ICER’s, is beyond the scope of this FAQ. In general, the UW team supports the use of robust cost-effectiveness methods as part of a complex process to inform value assessments of medical products. We will not be developing the budget impact models or the related affordability price benchmarks.
If there are alternate viewpoints from the drug developer as to the methodology/results, how does that get incorporated into the cost-effectiveness analysis?
The model development and reporting process include a public review and comment period.
Will the UW team provide consulting advice to the pharmaceutical industry?
We will not provide consulting advice as part of our evaluations for ICER. Any work outside of the ICER collaboration will be subject to a comprehensive financial conflict of interest plan established with the UW office of research.
Can drug developers reach out to UW SOP with clinical information regarding the product that is being evaluated?
ICER’s communication process includes the opportunity for drug companies to provide clinical information to support the evaluations.
Who should we contact for more information?
Communications should be directed to ICER at https://icer-review.org/about/contact/